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BX  9178  .V3  J6 

Van  Dyke,  Henry,  1852-1933 

Joy  and  power 


Sov  ant)  0otDer 


3fop  anb  ^otuer 

flDne  i^eaning 


jQeto  gotb 

C  p,  €t(mtil  anD  Company 

a^Dcccciii 


Copyright,  1903,  by  Thomas  Y.  Crowell  &  Company 
Published  September,  1903 


D.  B.  Updike,  The  Merrymount  Press,  Boston 


DeDicateD  to  mp  StittiO 

3Iof)n  l^u0ton  Jfmlep 

Pte0iDent  of  tf)e  College 

of  tfie 

Citp  of  il3eto  gorb 


Clje  i&reface 

HEthreemessageswhich 
are  brought  together  in 
this  book  were  given  not 
far  apart  in  time,  though 
at  some  distance  from  one 
another  in  space.  The  one 
called  Joy  and  Power  was  delivered  in 
Los  Angeles,  California,  at  the  opening 
of  the  Presbyterian  General  Assembly, 
May  21, 1903.  The  one  called  The  Bat- 
tle of  Life  was  delivered  on  Baccalau- 
reate Sunday  at  Princeton  University, 
June  7.  The  one  called  The  Good  Old 
Way  was  delivered  on  Baccalaureate 
Sunday  at  Harvard  University,  June 
14.  At  the  time,  I  was  thinking  chiefly 
of  the  different  qualities  and  needs  of 
the  people  to  whom  I  had  to  speak. 
This  will  account  for  some  things  in 
the  form  of  each  message.  But  now 
that  they  are  put  together  I  can  see 
that  all  three  of  them  say  about  the 
same  thing.  They  point  in  the  same 
direction,  urge  the  same  course  of  ac- 
tion, and  appeal  to  the  same  motive. 
It  is  nothing  new,  — the  meaning  of 
this  threefold  message, -but  it  is  the 

vii 


preface 


best  that  I  have  learned  in  life.  And  I 
believe  it  is  true, -so  true  that  we  need 
often  to  have  it  brought  to  remem- 
brance. 

Henry  van  Dyke 

Avalon,  July  5,  1903 


Contents 

t  31op  anD  potoet  3 

n.  Cbe  TBattle  of  life  37 

in.  Cfte  ©ODD  2D1D  map  59 


3ov  ^nU  i&otoer 


3lop  anU  i^otoer 

@t.  3lDftn  xiil  17 :  3|f  pe  fenoto  tbe^e  tbing^, 
bappg  are  ge  if  pe  Do  tfiem. 

ASK  you  to  think  for  a 
little  while  about  the  re- 
ligion of  Christ  in  its  re- 
lation to  happiness. 

This  is  only  one  point  in 
the  circle  of  truth  at  the 
centre  of  which  Jesus  stands.  But  it  is 
an  important  point  because  it  marks 
one  of  the  lines  of  power  which  radi- 
ate from  Him.  To  look  at  it  clearly 
and  steadily  is  not  to  disregard  other 
truths.  The  mariner  takes  the  whole 
heavensofastronomyfor  granted  while 
he  shapes  his  course  by  a  single  star. 

In  the  wish  for  happiness  all  men  are 
strangely  alike.  In  their  explanations 
of  it  and  in  their  ways  of  seeking  it 
they  are  singularly  different.  Shall  we 
think  of  this  wish  as  right,  or  wrong; 
as  a  true  star,  or  a  will-o'-the-wisp?  If 
it  is  right  to  wish  to  be  happy,  what 
are  the  conditions  on  which  the  fulfil- 
ment of  this  wish  depends?  These  are 
the  two  questions  with  which  I  would 
come  to  Christ,  seeking  instruction 
and  guidance.  o 


3fo5  anb  ^otoer 

I.  The  desire  of  happiness,  beyond  all 
doubt,  is  a  natural  desire.  It  is  the  law 
of  life  itself  that  every  being  seeks 
and  strives  toward  the  perfection  of  its 
kind,  the  realization  of  its  own  specific 
ideal  in  form  and  function,  and  a  true 
harmony  with  its  environment  Every 
drop  of  sap  in  the  tree  flows  toward 
foliage  and  fruit.  Every  drop  of  blood  in 
the  bird  beats  toward  flight  and  song. 
In  a  conscious  being  this  movement 
toward  perfection  must  take  a  con- 
scious form.  This  conscious  form  is 
happiness,— the  satisfaction  of  the  vi- 
tal impulse,— the  rhythm  of  the  inward 
life,— the  melody  of  a  heart  that  has 
found  its  keynote.  To  say  that  all  men 
long  for  this  is  simply  to  confess  that 
all  men  are  human,  and  that  their 
thoughts  and  feelings  are  an  essential 
part  of  their  life.  Virtue  means  a  com- 
pleted manhood.  The  joyful  welfare  of 
the  soul  belongs  to  the  fulness  of  that 
ideal.  Holiness  is  wholeness.  In  striv- 
ing to  realize  the  true  aim  of  our  be- 
ing, we  find  the  wish  for  happiness  im- 
planted in  the  very  heart  of  our  effort. 
4 


3ov  anil  ^otDer 

Now  what  does  Christ  say  in  regard 
to  this  natural  human  wish?  Does  He 
say  that  it  is  an  illusion?  Does  He  con- 
demn and  deny  it?  Would  He  have  ac- 
cepted Goethe's  definition:  **reHgion 
is  renunciation"? 

Surely  such  a  notion  is  far  from  the 
spirit  of  Jesus.  There  is  nothing  of  the 
hardness  of  Stoicism,  the  coldness  of 
Buddhism,  in  Christ's  gospel.  It  is  hu- 
mane, sympathetic,  consoling.  Unrest 
and  weariness,  the  fever  of  passion  and 
the  chill  of  despair,  soul-solitude  and 
heart-trouble,  are  the  very  things  that 
He  comes  to  cure.  He  begins  His  great 
discourse  with  a  series  of  beatitudes. 
"Blessed"  is  the  word.  "Happy"  is 
the  meaning.  Nine  times  He  rings  the 
changes  on  that  word,  like  a  silver  bell 
sounding  from  His  fair  temple  on  the 
mountain-side,  calling  all  who  long  for 
happiness  to  come  to  Him  and  find 
rest  for  their  souls. 

Christ  never  asks  us  to  give  up  merely 
for  the  sake  of  giving  up,  but  always 
in  order  to  win  something  better.  He 
comes  not  to  destroy,  but  to  fulfil, - 

5 


3ov  anb  S^tmtv 

to  fill  full,-to  replenish  life  with  true, 
inward,  lasting  riches.  His  gospel  is  a 
message  of  satisfaction,  of  attainment, 
of  felicity.  Its  voice  is  not  a  sigh,  but 
a  song.  Its  final  word  is  a  benediction, 
a  good-saying.  "These  things  have  I 
spoken  unto  you,  that  my  joy  might  re- 
main in  you,  and  that  your  joy  might 

be  full." 

If  we  accept  His  teaching  we  must 
believe  that  men  are  not  wrong  in  wish- 
ing for  happiness,  but  wrong  in  their 
way  of  seeking  it.  Earthly  happiness, 
-pleasure  that  belongs  to  the  senses 
and  perishes  with  them, -earthly  hap- 
piness is  a  dream  and  a  delusion.  But 
happiness  on  earth, -spiritual  joy  and 
peace,  blossoming  here,  fruiting  here- 
after,-immortal  happiness,  is  the  key- 
note of  life  in  Christ. 

And  if  we  come  to  Him,  He  tells  us 
four  great  secrets  in  regard  to  it. 

i.  It  is  inward,  and  not  outward ;  and 
so  it  does  not  depend  on  what  we  have, 
but  on  what  we  are. 

ii.  It  cannot  be  found  by  direct  seek- 
ing, but  by  setting  our  faces  toward 
6 


3fop  anil  ^otDtr 

the  things  from  which  it  flows ;  and  so 
we  must  climb  the  mount  if  we  would 
see  the  vision,  we  must  tune  the  instru- 
ment if  we  would  hear  the  music. 

iii.  It  is  not  solitary,  but  social ;  and 
so  we  can  never  have  it  without  shar- 
ing it  with  others. 

iv.  It  is  the  result  of  God's  will  for  us, 
and  not  of  our  will  for  ourselves ;  and 
so  we  can  only  find  it  by  giving  our 
lives  up,  in  submission  and  obedience, 
to  the  control  of  God. 

For  this  is  peace,— to  lose  the  lonely  note 
Of  self  in  love's  celestial  ordered  strain : 
And  this  is  joy,— to  find  one's  self  again 
In  Him  whose  harmonies  forever  float 
Through  all  the  spheres  of  song,  below, 

above,— 
For  God  is  music,  even  as  God  is  love. 

This  is  the  divine  doctrine  of  happi- 
ness as  Christ  taught  it  by  His  life 
and  with  His  lips.  If  we  want  to  put  it 
into  a  single  phrase,  I  know  not  where 
we  shall  find  a  more  perfect  utterance 
than  in  the  words  which  have  been 
taught  us  in  childhood, —words  so 
strong,  so  noble,  so  cheerful,  that  they 

7 


3(02  anil  ^otaer 

summon  the  heart  of  manhood  Hke 
marching-music:  ** Man's  chief  end  is 
to  glorify  God  and  enjoy  Him  forever." 

Let  us  accept  without  reserve  this 
teaching  of  our  Divine  Lord  and  Mas- 
ter in  regard  to  the  possibiHty  and  the 
duty  of  happiness.  It  is  an  essential  ele- 
ment of  His  gospel.  The  atmosphere 
of  the  New  Testament  is  not  gloom,  but 
gladness ;  not  despondency,  but  hope. 
The  man  who  is  not  glad  to  be  a  Chris- 
tian is  not  the  right  kind  of  a  Christian. 

The  first  thing  that  commended  the 
Church  of  Jesus  to  the  weary  and  dis- 
heartened world  in  the  early  years  of 
her  triumph,  was  her  power  to  make  her 
children  happy, -happy  in  the  midst  of 
afflictions,  happy  in  the  release  from 
the  burden  of  guilt,  happy  in  the  sense 
of  Divine  Fatherhood  and  human  bro- 
therhood, happy  in  Christ's  victory  over 
sin  and  death,  happy  in  the  assurance 
of  an  endless  life.  At  midnight  in  the 
prison,  Paul  and  Silas  sang  praises, 
and  the  prisoners  heard  them.  The  lat- 
eral force  of  joy, -that  was  the  power 
of  the  Church. 
8 


3Jop  anb  ^omv 

"*Poor  world,'  she  cried,  *so  deep  accurst, 
Thou  runn'st  from  pole  to  pole 
To  seek  a  draught  to  slake  thy  thirst,  — 
Go  seek  it  in  thy  souL' 

Tears  washed  the  trouble  from  her  face! 

She  changed  into  a  child! 
'Mid  weeds  and  wrecks  she  stood,— a  place 

Of  ruin,  —but  she  smiled!" 

Much  has  the  Church  lost  of  that  pris- 
tine and  powerful  joy.  The  furnace 
of  civilization  has  withered  and  hard- 
ened her.  She  has  become  anxious  and 
troubled  about  many  things.  She  has 
sought  earthly  honours,  earthly  pow- 
ers. Richer  she  is  than  ever  before,  and 
probably  better  organized,  and  per- 
haps more  intelligent,  more  learned,— 
but  not  more  happy.  The  one  note  that 
is  most  often  missing  in  Christian  life, 
in  Christian  service,  is  the  note  of 
spontaneous  joy. 

Christians  are  not  as  much  calmer, 
steadier,  stronger,  and  more  cheerful 
than  other  people  as  they  ought  to  be. 
Some  Christians  are  among  the  most 
depressing  and  worryful  people  in  the 
world, -the  most  difficult  to  live  with. 

9 


3fop  anil  l^omv 

And  some,  indeed,  have  adopted  a  the- 
ory of  spiritual  ethics  which  puts  a  spe- 
cial value  upon  unhappiness.  The  dark, 
morbid  spirit  which  mistrusts  every 
joyful  feeling,  and  depreciates  every 
cheerful  virtue,  and  looks  askance 
upon  every  happy  life  as  if  there  must 
be  something  wrong  about  it,  is  a  de- 
parture from  the  beauty  of  Christ's 
teaching  to  follow  the  dark-browed 
philosophy  of  the  Orient. 

The  religion  of  Jesus  tells  us  that 
cheerful  piety  is  the  best  piety.  There 
is  something  finer  than  to  do  right 
against  inclination ;  and  that  is  to  have 
an  inclination  to  do  right.  There  is 
something  nobler  than  reluctant  obe- 
dience; and  that  is  joyful  obedience. 
The  rank  of  virtue  is  not  measured  by 
its  disagreeableness,  but  by  its  sweet- 
ness to  the  heart  that  loves  it.  The  real 
test  of  character  is  joy.  For  what  you 
rejoice  in,  that  you  love.  And  what 
you  love,  that  you  are  like. 

I  confess  frankly  that  I  have  no  ad- 
miration for  the  phrase  ^^disinterested 
benevolence,"  to  describe  the  main- 

10 


spring  of  Christian  morals.  I  do  not 
find  it  in  the  New  Testament:  neither 
the  words,  nor  the  thing.  Interested 
benevolence  is  what  I  find  there.  To  do 
good  to  others  is  to  make  life  interest- 
ing and  find  peace  for  our  own  souls. 
To  glorify  God  is  to  enjoy  Him.  That 
was  the  spirit  of  the  first  Christians. 
Was  not  St.  Paul  a  happier  man  than 
Herod?  Did  not  St.  Peter  have  more 
joy  of  his  life  than  Nero?  It  is  said  of 
the  first  disciples  that  they  "did  eat 
their  meat  with  gladness  and  single- 
ness of  heart."  Not  till  that  pristine 
gladness  of  life  returns  will  the  Church 
regain  her  early  charm  for  the  souls  of 
men.  Every  great  revival  of  Christian 
power— like  those  which  came  in  the 
times  of  St.  Francis  of  Assisi  and  of 
John  Wesley-has  been  marked  and 
heralded  by  a  revival  of  Christian  joy. 
If  we  want  the  Church  to  be  mighty 
in  power  to  win  men,  to  be  a  source  of 
light  in  the  darkness,  a  fountain  of  life 
in  the  wilderness,  we  must  remember 
and  renew,  in  the  spirit  of  Christ,  the  re- 
lation of  religion  to  human  happiness. 

II 


3o5  anil  H^mtx 

1 1.  What,  then,  are  the  conditions  upon 
which  true  happiness  depends?  Christ 
tells  us  in  the  text:  If  ye  know  these 
things,  happy  are  ye  if  ye  do  them. 

This  is  the  blessing  with  a  double  if. 
*4f  ye  know,"— this  is  the  knowledge 
which  Christ  gives  to  faith.  *4f  ye  do,"— 
this  is  the  obedience  which  faith  gives 
to  Christ.  Knowing  and  Doing,— these 
are  the  twin  pillars,  Jachin  and  Boaz, 
on  which  the  house  of  happiness  is 
built.  The  harmony  of  faith  and  life,— 
this  is  the  secret  of  inward  joy  and 
power. 

You  remember  when  these  words 
were  spoken.  Christ  had  knelt  to  wash 
the  disciples'  feet.  Peter,  in  penitence 
and  self-reproach,  had  hesitated  to  per- 
mit this  lowly  service  of  Divine  love. 
But  Christ  answered  by  revealing  the 
meaning  of  His  act  as  a  symbol  of  the 
cleansing  of  the  soul  from  sin.  He  re- 
minded the  disciples  of  what  they  knew 
by  faith,— that  He  was  their  Saviour 
and  their  Lord.  By  deed  and  by  word 
He  called  up  before  them  the  great 
spiritual  truths  which  had  given  new 

12 


305  anb  ^ovott 

meaning  to  their  life.  He  summoned 
them  to  live  according  to  their  know- 
ledge, to  act  upon  the  truth  which  they 
believed. 

I  am  sure  that  His  words  sweep  out 
beyond  that  quiet  upper  room,  beyond 
that  beautiful  incident,  to  embrace  the 
whole  spiritual  life.  I  am  sure  that  He 
is  revealing  to  us  the  secret  of  happy 
living  which  lies  at  the  very  heart  of 
His  gospel,  when  He  says:  If  ye  know 
these  things,happy  are  ye  if  ye  do  them, 
i.  "If ye  know,"-there  is,  then, acer- 
tain  kind  of  knowledge  without  which 
we  can  not  be  happy.  There  are  ques- 
tions arising  in  human  nature  which 
demand  an  answer.  If  it  is  denied  we 
can  not  help  being  disappointed,  rest- 
less, and  sad.  This  is  the  price  we  have 
to  pay  for  being  conscious,  rational 
creatures.  If  we  were  mere  plants  or 
animals  we  might  goon  living  through 
our  appointed  years  in  complete  indif- 
ference to  the  origin  and  meaning  of 
our  existence.  But  within  us,  as  hu- 
man beings,  there  is  something  that 
cries  out  and  rebels  against  such  a 

13 


3fo5  anil  l^tmtx 

blind  life.  Man  is  born  to  ask  what 
things  mean.  He  is  possessed  with  the 
idea  that  there  is  a  significance  in 
the  world  beyond  that  which  meets  his 
senses. 

John  Fiske  has  brought  out  this  fact 
very  clearly  in  his  last  book,  Through 
Nature  to  God.  He  shows  that  ^4n  the 
morning  twilight  of  existence  the  Hu- 
man Soul  vaguely  reached  forth  to- 
ward something  akin  to  itself,  not  in 
the  realm  of  fleeting  phenomena,  but 
in  the  Eternal  Presence  beyond."  He 
argues  by  the  analogy  of  evolution, 
which  always  presupposes  a  real  rela- 
tion between  the  life  and  the  environ- 
ment to  which  it  adjusts  itself,  that 
this  forth-reaching  and  unfolding  of 
the  soul  implies  the  everlasting  real- 
ity of  religion. 

The  argument  is  good.  But  the  point 
which  concerns  us  now  is  simply  this. 
The  forth-reaching,  questioning  soul 
can  never  be  satisfied  if  it  touches  only 
a  dead  wall  in  the  darkness,  if  its  seek- 
ing meets  with  the  reply,  **  You  do  not 
know,  and  you  never  can  know,  and 
14 


3fo5  anil  l^omv 

you  must  not  try  to  know."  This  is  ag- 
nosticism. It  is  only  another  way  of 
spelling  unhappiness. 

"Since  Christianity  is  not  true," 
wrote  Ernest  Renan,  "nothing  inter- 
ests me,  or  appears  worthy  my  atten- 
tion." That  is  the  logical  result  of  los- 
ing the  knowledge  of  spiritual  things, 
—a  life  without  real  interest,  with- 
out deep  worth, -a  life  with  a  broken 
spring. 

But  suppose  Renan  is  mistaken. 
Suppose  Christianity  is  true.  Then  the 
first  thing  that  makes  it  precious,  is 
that  it  answers  our  questions,  and  tells 
us  the  things  that  we  must  know  in 
order  to  be  happy. 

Christianity  is  a  revealing  religion, 
a  teaching  religion,  a  religion  which 
conveys  to  the  inquiring  spirit  certain 
great  and  positive  solutions  of  the  pro- 
blems of  life.  It  is  not  silent,  nor  am- 
biguous, nor  incomprehensible  in  its 
utterance.  It  replies  to  our  questions 
with  a  knowledge  which,  though  lim- 
ited, is  definite  and  sufficient.  It  tells 
us  that  this  "order  of  nature,  which 

15 


3(05  anil  ^oxuer 

constitutes  the  world's  experience,  is 
only  one  portion  of  the  total  universe." 
That  the  rulerof  both  worlds,  seen  and 
unseen,  is  God,  a  Spirit,  and  the  Father 
of  our  spirits.  That  He  is  not  distant 
from  us  nor  indifferent  to  us,  but  that 
He  has  given  His  eternal  Son  Jesus 
Christ  to  be  our  Saviour.  That  His 
Spirit  is  ever  present  with  us  to  help  us 
in  our  conflicts  with  evil,  in  our  efforts 
toward  goodness.  That  He  is  making 
all  things  work  together  for  good  to 
those  that  love  Him.  That  through  the 
sacrifice  of  Christ  every  one  who  will 
may  obtain  the  forgiveness  of  sins  and 
everlasting  peace.  That  through  the 
resurrection  of  Christ  all  who  love  Him 
and  their  fellow-men  shall  obtain  the 
victory  over  death  and  live  forever. 

Now  these  are  doctrines.  And  it 
is  just  because  Christianity  contains 
such  doctrines  that  it  satisfies  the  need 
of  man. 

"The  first  and  the  most  essential  con- 
dition of  true  happiness,"  writes  Pro- 
fessor Carl  Hilty,  the  eminent  Swiss 
jurist,  "is  a  firm  faith  in  the  moral  or- 
i6 


Sop  anil  ^oxoer 

der  of  the  world.  What  is  the  happy 
Hfe?  It  is  a  life  of  conscious  harmony 
with  this  Divine  order  of  the  world,  a 
sense,  that  is  to  say,  of  God's  compan- 
ionship. And  wherein  is  the  profound- 
est  unhappiness?  It  is  in  the  sense 
of  remoteness  from  God,  issuing  into 
incurable  restlessness  of  heart,  and 
finally  into  incapacity  to  make  one's 
life  fruitful  or  effective." 

What  shall  we  say,  then,  of  the 
proposal  to  adapt  Christianity  to  the 
needs  of  the  world  to-day  by  eliminat- 
ing or  ignoring  its  characteristic  doc- 
trines? You  might  as  well  propose  to 
fit  a  ship  for  service  by  taking  out  its 
compass  and  its  charts  and  cutting  off 
its  rudder.  Make  Christianity  silent 
in  regard  to  these  great  questions  of 
spiritual  existence,  and  you  destroy  its 
power  to  satisfy  the  heart. 

What  would  the  life  of  Christ  mean  if 
these  deep  truths  on  which  He  rested 
and  from  which  He  drew  His  strength, 
were  uncertain  or  illusory?  It  would 
be  the  most  pathetic,  mournful,  heart- 
breaking of  all  phantoms. 

17 


3(op  anil  ^oxDer 

What  consoling,  cheering  power 
would  be  left  in  the  words  of  Jesus  if 
His  doctrine  were  blotted  out  and  His 
precept  left  to  stand  alonePTry  the  ex- 
periment, if  it  may  be  done  without  ir- 
reverence: read  His  familiar  discourses 
in  the  shadow  of  agnosticism. 

*  Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit,  for 
theirs  is  a  hopeless  poverty.  Blessed 
are  the  pure  in  heart,  for  they  know  not 
whether  they  shall  see  God.  Blessed 
are  ye  when  men  shall  revile  you  and 
persecute  you,  for  ye  have  no  promise 
of  a  heavenly  reward. 

*  Enter  into  thy  closet  and  when  thou 
hast  shut  the  door,  keep  silence,  for 
thou  canst  not  tell  whether  there  is 
One  to  hear  thy  voice  in  secret.  Take 
no  thought  for  the  morrow,  for  thou 
knowest  not  whether  there  is  a  Father 
who  careth  for  thee. 

*God  is  unknown,  and  they  that  wor- 
ship Him  must  worship  Him  in  igno- 
rance and  doubt.  No  man  hath  as- 
cended up  into  heaven,  neither  hath 
any  man  come  down  from  heaven,  for 
the  Son  of  Man  hath  never  been  in 
i8 


3f05  anil  ^oxDtr 

heaven.  That  which  is  born  of  the  flesh 
is  flesh,  and  that  which  is  born  of  the 
spirit  is  a  dream.  Man  shall  not  live  by 
bread  alone,  neither  shall  he  listen  for 
any  word  from  the  mouth  of  God.  I  pro- 
ceeded forth  and  came  from  darkness, 
I  came  of  myself,  I  know  not  who  sent 
me.  My  sheep  hear  my  voice,  and  I 
know  them,  and  they  follow  me,  but  I 
can  not  give  unto  them  eternal  life,  for 
they  shall  perish  and  death  shall  pluck 
them  out  of  my  hand.  Let  not  your 
heart  be  troubled ;  ye  believe  not  in 
God,  ye  need  not  beUeve  in  me.  Keep 
my  commandments,  and  I  will  not  pray 
for  you,  and  ye  shall  abide  without  a 
Comforter.  In  the  world  ye  shall  have 
tribulation,  but  be  of  good  cheer,  for 
ye  know  not  whether  there  is  a  world 
to  come.  I  came  forth  from  darkness 
into  the  world,  and  again  I  leave  the 
world  and  return  to  darkness.  Peace  I 
leave  with  you.  If  ye  loved  me  ye  would 
rejoice  because  I  said,  I  go  into  dark- 
ness, and  where  I  am  there  shall  ye  be 

also.'  „    . 

Is  it  conceivable  that  any  suffering, 

19 


3op  anil  l^omv 

sorrowing  human  soul  should  be  com- 
forted and  strengthened  by  such  a 
message  as  this?  Could  it  possibly  be 
called  a  gospel,  glad  tidings  of  great 
joy  to  all  people? 

And  yet  what  has  been  omitted  here 
from  the  words  of  Christ?  Nothing  but 
what  men  call  doctrines:  the  person- 
ality of  God,  the  divinity  of  Christ,  the 
Atonement,  the  presence  and  power  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  the  sovereignty  of  the 
Heavenly  Father,  the  truth  of  the  di- 
vine revelation,  the  reality  of  the  hea- 
venly world,  the  assurance  of  immortal 
life.  But  it  is  just  from  these  doctrines 
that  the  teaching  of  Jesus  draws  its 
peculiar  power  to  comfort  and  inspire. 
They  are  the  rays  of  light  which  dis- 
perse the  gloom  of  uncertainty.  They 
are  the  tones  of  celestial  music  which 
fill  the  heart  of  man  with  good  cheer. 

Let  us  never  imagine  that  we  can 
strengthen  Christianity  by  leaving  out 
the  great  doctrines  which  have  given 
it  life  and  power.  Faith  is  not  a  mere 
matter  of  feeling.  It  is  the  acceptance  of 
truth,  positive,  unchanging,  revealed 

20 


3fop  anil  l^tmtx 

truth,  in  regard  to  God  and  the  world, 
Christ  and  the  soul,  duty  and  immor- 
tality. The  first  appeal  to  faith  lies  in 
the  clearness  and  vividness,  the  sim- 
plicity and  joy,  with  which  this  truth 
is  presented. 

There  has  not  been  too  much  preach- 
ing of  doctrine  in  this  age.  There  has 
been  too  little.  And  what  there  has 
been,  has  been  too  dull  and  cold  and 
formal,  too  vague  and  misty,  too  wa- 
vering and  uncertain. 

What  the  world  wants  and  waits  for 
to-day  is  a  strong,  true,  vital  preaching 
of  doctrine.  The  Church  must  realize 
anew  the  precious  value  of  the  truths 
which  Christ  has  given  her.  She  must 
not  conceal  them  or  cast  them  away; 
she  must  bring  them  out  into  the  light, 
press  them  home  upon  the  minds  and 
hearts  of  men.  She  must  simplify  her 
statement  of  them,  so  that  men  can 
understand  what  they  mean.  She  must 
not  be  content  with  repeating  them  in 
the  language  of  past  centuries.  She 
must  translate  them  into  the  language 
of  to-day.    First   century  texts  will 

21 


3fo5  anil  ^oxDer 

never  wear  out  because  they  are  in- 
spired. But  seventeenth  century  ser- 
mons grow  obsolete  because  they  are 
not  inspired.  Texts  from  the  Word  of 
God,  preaching  in  the  words  of  Hving 
men,  — that  is  what  we  need. 

We  must  think  about  the  doctrines 
of  Christianity  more  earnestly  and  pro- 
foundly. We  must  renew  our  Christian 
evidences,  as  an  army  fits  itself  with 
new  weapons.  The  old-fashioned  form 
of  the  "argument  from  design  in  na- 
ture" has  gone  out  with  the  old-fash- 
ioned books  of  science  which  it  used. 
But  there  is  a  newand  more  wonderful 
proof  of  God's  presence  in  the  world,— 
the  argument  from  moral  ends  in  evo- 
lution. Every  real  advance  of  science 
makes  the  intelligent  order  of  the  uni- 
verse more  sublimely  clear.  Every  cen- 
tury of  human  experience  confirms  the 
Divine  claims  and  adds  to  the  Divine 
triumphs  of  Jesus  Christ.  Social  pro- 
gress has  followed  to  a  hair's  breadth 
the  Hnes  of  His  gospel;  and  He  lays 
His  hand  to-day  with  heavenly  wisdom 
on  the  social  wants  that  still  trouble 

22 


3Jo5  anb  ^otoer 

us,  "the  social  lies  that  warp  us  from 
the  living  truth."  Christ's  view  of  life 
and  the  world  is  as  full  of  sweet  rea- 
sonableness now  as  it  was  in  the  first 
century.  Every  moral  step  that  man 
has  taken  upward  has  brought  a  wider, 
clearer  vision  of  his  need  of  such  a  re- 
ligion as  that  which  Christ  teaches. 

Let  not  the  Church  falter  and  blush 
for  her  doctrines.  Let  her  not  turn  and 
go  down  the  hill  of  knowledge  to  de- 
fend her  position  in  the  valley  of  igno- 
rance. Let  her  go  up  the  hill,  welcom- 
ing every  wider  outlook,  rejoicing  in 
every  new  discovery,  gathering  fresh 
evidences  of  the  truths  which  man 
must  believe  concerning  God  and  new 
motives  to  the  duties  which  God  re- 
quires of  man. 

But  in  doing  this  we  must  put  the 
emphasis  of  our  preaching  to-day 
where  it  belongs,  where  Christ  puts  it, 
on  the  doctrines  that  are  most  impor- 
tant to  human  life  and  happiness.  We 
can  afford  to  let  the  fine  metaphysi- 
cal distinctions  of  theology  rest  for  a 
while,  and  throw  all  our  force  on  the 

23 


3fo5  anb  ^otDtr 

central,  fundamental  truths  which  give 
steadiness  and  courage  and  cheer  to 
the  heart  of  man.  I  will  not  admit  that 
it  makes  no  difference  to  a  man  of  this 
age  whether  or  not  he  believes  in  the 
personal  God  and  the  Divine  Christ. 
If  he  really  believes,  it  makes  all  the 
difference  between  spiritual  strength 
and  spiritual  weakness,  between  op- 
timism and  pessimism.  I  will  not  ad- 
mit that  it  makes  no  difference  to  a 
learned  scholar  or  a  simple  labourer  to- 
day whether  he  accepts  or  ignores  the 
doctrine  of  the  atonement,  the  doctrine 
of  personal  immortality.  If  he  knows 
that  Christ  died  for  him,  that  there  is 
a  future  beyond  the  grave,  it  makes 
all  the  difference  between  despair  and 
hope,  between  misery  and  consolation, 
between  the  helpless  frailty  of  a  being 
that  is  puffed  out  like  a  candle,  and 
the  joyful  power  of  an  endless  life. 

My  brethren,  we  must  work  and  pray 
for  a  true  revival  of  Christian  doctrine 
in  our  age.  We  must  deepen  our  own 
hold  upon  the  truths  which  Christ  has 
taught  us.  We  must  preach  them  more 
24 


3f05  anil  l^tMtx 

simply,  more  confidently,  more  reason- 
ably, more  earnestly.  We  must  draw 
from  them  the  happiness  and  the  help, 
the  comfort  and  the  inspiration,  that 
they  have  to  give  to  the  souls  of  men. 
But  most  of  all,  we  must  keep  them  in 
close  and  living  touch  with  the  pro- 
blems of  daily  duty  and  experience. 
For  no  doctrine,  however  high,  how- 
ever true,  can  make  men  happy  until 
it  is  translated  into  life. 

ii.  Here  is  the  second  if,  on  which  the 
power  of  religion  to  confer  happiness 
depends :  If  ye  know,  happy  are  ye  if 
ye  do  these  things. 

Between  the  knowing  and  the  doing 
there  is  a  deep  gulf  Into  that  abyss  the 
happiness  of  many  a  man  slips,  and  is 
lost. There  is  no  peace,  no  real  and  last- 
ing felicity  for  a  human  life  until  the 
gulf  is  closed,  and  the  continent  of  con- 
duct meets  the  continent  of  creed,  edge 
to  edge,  lip  to  lip,  firmly  joined  forever. 

It  is  not  a  blessing  to  know  the 
things  that  Christ  teaches,  and  then 
go  on  living  as  if  they  were  false  or 
doubtful.  It  is  a  trouble,  a  torment,  a 

25 


3o5  anil  l^omx 

secret  misery.  To  know  that  God  is 
our  Father,  and  yet  to  withhold  our 
love  and  service  from  Him;  to  know 
that  Christ  died  for  us,  and  yet  to  deny 
Him  and  refuse  to  follow  Him ;  to  know 
that  there  is  an  immortal  life,  and  yet 
to  waste  and  lose  our  souls  in  the  pur- 
suit of  sensual  pleasure  and  such  small 
portion  of  the  world  as  we  may  hope 
to  gain,— surely  that  is  the  deepest  of 
all  unhappiness. 

But  the  right  kind  of  knowing  car- 
ries in  its  heart  the  doing  of  the  truth. 
And  the  right  kind  of  doing  leads  to  a 
fuller  and  happier  knowing.  *^If  any 
man  will  do  God's  will, "  declares  Christ, 
**he  shall  know  of  the  doctrine." 

Let  a  man  take  the  truth  of  the  Di- 
vine Fatherhood  and  begin  to  conform 
his  life  to  its  meaning.  Let  him  give  up 
his  anxious  worryings,  his  murmur- 
ings,  his  complainings,  and  trust  him- 
self completely  to  his  Father's  care.  Let 
him  do  his  work  from  day  to  day  as 
well  as  he  can  and  leave  the  results  to 
God.  Let  him  come  to  his  Father  every 
day  and  confess  his  faults  and  ask  for 
26 


3op  anb  ^ou)er 

help  and  guidance.  Let  him  try  to  obey 
and  please  God  for  love's  sake.  Let 
him  take  refuge  from  the  trials  and 
confusions  and  misunderstandings  of 
the  world,  from  the  wrath  of  men  and 
the  strife  of  tongues,  in  the  secret  of 
his  Father's  presence.  Surely  if  he 
learns  the  truth  thus,  by  doing  it,  he 
will  find  happiness. 

Or  take  the  truth  of  immortality. 
Let  a  man  live  now  in  the  light  of  the 
knowledge  that  he  is  to  live  forever. 
How  it  will  deepen  and  strengthen 
the  meaning  of  his  existence,  lift  him 
above  petty  cares  and  ambitions,  and 
make  the  things  that  are  worth  while 
precious  to  his  heart !  Let  him  really 
set  his  affections  on  the  spiritual  side 
of  life,  let  him  endure  afflictions  pa- 
tiently because  he  knows  that  they  are 
but  for  a  moment,  let  him  think  more 
of  the  soul  than  of  the  body,  let  him  do 
good  to  his  fellow-men  in  order  to  make 
them  sharers  of  his  immortal  hope,  let 
him  purify  his  love  and  friendship  that 
they  may  be  fit  for  the  heavenly  life. 
Surely  the  man  who  does  these  things 

27 


3(05  anil  l^omv 

will  be  happy.  It  will  be  with  him  as 
with  Lazarus,  in  Robert  Browning's 
poem,  **The  Epistle  of  Karshish." 
Others  will  look  at  him  with  wonder 
and  say: 

"Whence  has  the  man  the  balm  that  brightens 

all? 
This  grown  man  eyes  the  world  now  like  a 

child." 

Yes,  my  brethren,  this  is  the  sure  re- 
sult of  following  out  the  doctrines  of 
Christ  in  action,  of  living  the  truths 
that  He  teaches,— a  simple  life,  a  child- 
like life,  a  happy  life.  And  this  also  the 
Church  needs  to-day,  as  well  as  a  true 
revival  of  doctrine. 

A  revival  of  simplicity,  a  revival  of 
sincerity,  a  revival  of  work :  this  will 
restore  unto  us  the  joy  of  salvation. 
And  with  the  joy  of  salvation  will  come 
a  renewal  and  expansion  of  power. 

The  inconsistency  of  Christians  is 
the  stronghold  of  unbelief.  The  lack  of 
vital  joy  in  the  Church  is  the  chief  cause 
of  indifference  in  the  world.  The  feeble 
energy,  the  faltering  and  reluctant 
spirit,  the  weariness  in  well-doing  with 
28 


Sop  anil  l^tmtv 

which  too  many  believers  impoverish 
and  sadden  their  own  hearts,  make 
other  men  question  the  reahty  and 
value  of  religion  and  turn  away  from 
it  in  cool  neglect. 

What,  then,  is  the  duty  of  the  Church? 
What  must  she  do  to  win  the  confi- 
dence of  the  world?  What  is  the  best 
way  for  her  to  "prove  her  doctrine  all 
divine"? 

First,  she  must  increase  her  labours 
in  the  love  of  men:  second,  she  must 
practice  the  simple  life,  deepening  her 
trust  in  God. 

Suppose  that  a  fresh  flood  of  energy, 
brave,  cheerful,  joyous  energy,  should 
be  poured  into  all  the  forms  of  Chris- 
tian work.  Suppose  that  Foreign  Mis- 
sions and  Home  Missions  should  no 
longer  have  to  plead  and  beg  for  sup- 
port, but  that  plenty  of  money  should 
come  flowing  in  to  send  out  every  mis- 
sionary that  wants  to  go,  and  that 
plenty  of  the  strongest  and  iDest  young 
men  should  dedicate  their  lives  to  the 
ministry  of  Christ,  and  that  every 
household  where  His  gospel  is  be- 

29 


Sop  anil  ^otuer 

lieved  should  find  its  highest  honour 
and  its  greatest  joy  in  helping  to  ex- 
tend His  kingdom. 

And  then  suppose  that  the  Christian 
life,  in  its  daily  manifestation,  should 
come  to  be  marked  and  known  by  sim- 
plicity and  happiness.  Suppose  that 
the  followers  of  Jesus  should  really  es- 
cape from  bondage  to  the  evil  spirits 
of  avarice  and  luxury  which  infect  and 
torment  so  much  of  our  complicated, 
tangled,  artificial,  modern  life.  Suppose 
that  instead  of  increasing  their  wants 
and  their  desires,  instead  of  loading 
themselves  down  on  life's  journey  with 
so  many  bags  and  parcels  and  boxes  of 
superfluous  luggage  and  bric-a-brac 
that  they  are  forced  to  sit  down  by  the 
roadside  and  gasp  for  breath,  instead 
of  wearing  themselves  out  in  the  dusty 
ways  of  ostentation  and  vain  show  or 
embittering  their  hearts  because  they 
can  not  succeed  in  getting  into  the 
weary  race  of  wealth  and  fashion,— 
suppose  instead  of  all  this,  they  should 
turn  to  quiet  ways,  lowly  pleasures, 
pure  and  simple  joys,  **plain  living  and 
30 


Sop  ani  ^otwer 

high  thinking."  Suppose  they  should 
truly  find  and  show  their  happiness  in 
the  knowledge  that  God  loves  them 
and  Christ  died  for  them  and  heaven 
is  sure,  and  so  set  their  hearts  free 
to  rejoice  in  life's  common  mercies, 
the  light  of  the  sun,  the  blue  of  the 
sky,  the  splendour  of  the  sea,  the  peace 
of  the  everlasting  hills,  the  song  of 
birds,  the  sweetness  of  flowers,  the 
wholesome  savour  of  good  food,  the 
delights  of  action  and  motion,  the  re- 
freshment of  sleep,  the  charm  of  music, 
the  blessings  of  human  love  and  friend- 
ship,—rejoice  in  all  these  without  fear 
or  misgiving,  because  they  come  from 
God  and  because  Christ  has  sanctified 
them  all  by  His  presence  and  touch. 

Suppose,  I  say,  that  such  a  revival 
of  the  joy  of  living  in  Christ  and  work- 
ing for  Christ  should  silently  sweep 
over  the  Church  in  the  Twentieth  Cen- 
tury. What  would  happen?  Great  would 
be  the  peace  of  her  children.  Greater 
still  would  be  their  power.        ..^^ 

This  is  the  message  which  I  have 
to  bring  to  you,  my  brethren,  in  this 

31 


3(op  anil  ^otoer 

General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  You  may  wonder  that  it  is  not 
more  distinctive,  more  ecclesiastical, 
more  specially  adapted  to  the  pecu- 
liarities of  our  own  denomination.  You 
may  think  that  it  is  a  message  which 
could  just  as  well  be  brought  to  any 
other  Church  on  any  other  occasion. 
With  all  my  heart  I  hope  that  is  true. 
The  things  that  I  care  for  most  in  our 
Church  are  not  those  which  divide  us 
from  other  Christians  but  those  which 
unite  us  to  them.  The  things  that  I 
love  most  in  Christianity  are  those 
which  give  it  power  to  save  and  sat- 
isfy, to  console  and  cheer,  to  inspire 
and  bless  human  hearts  and  lives.  The 
thing  that  I  desire  most  for  Presby- 
terianism  is  that  it  should  prove  its 
mission  and  extend  its  influence  in  the 
world  by  making  men  happy  in  the 
knowing  and  the  doing  of  the  things 
which  Christ  teaches. 

The  Church  that  theTwentieth  Cen- 
tury will  hear  most  gladly  and  honour 
most  sincerely  will  have  two  marks.  It 
will  be  the  Church  that  teaches  most 
32 


3(op  anil  ^oxoer 

clearly  and  strongly  the  truths  that 
Jesus  taught.  It  will  be  the  Church  that 
finds  most  happiness  in  living  the  sim- 
ple life  and  doing  good  in  the  world. 


33 


Ci)e  I5attle  of  Hife 


CDe  Battle  of  3life 

IRoman0  xit  21 :  ©tietcome  ctiil  toitb  ffooD* 

H  E  Battle  of  Life  is  an  an- 
cient phrase  consecrated 
by  use  in  Commencement 
Orations  without  num- 
ber. Two  modern  expres- 
sions have  taken  their 
place  beside  it  in  our  own  day:  the 
Strenuous  Life,  and  the  Simple  Life. 
Each  of  these  phrases  has  its  own 
significance  and  value.  It  is  when  they 
are  overemphasized  and  driven  to  ex- 
tremes that  they  lose  their  truth  and 
become  catch-words  of  folly.  The  sim- 
ple life  which  blandly  ignores  all  care 
and  conflict,  soon  becomes  flabby  and 
invertebrate,  sentimental  and  gelati- 
nous. The  strenuous  life  which  does 
everything  with  set  jaws  and  clenched 
fists  and  fierce  effort,  soon  becomes 
strained  and  violent,  a  prolonged  ner- 
vous spasm. 

Somewhere  between  these  two  ex- 
tremes must  lie  the  golden  mean:  a 
life  that  has  strength  and  simplicity, 
courage  and  calm,  power  and  peace. 
But  how  can  we  find  this  golden  line 

37 


3(05  anil  3^omv 

and  live  along  it?  Some  truth  there 
must  be  in  the  old  phrase  which  speaks 
of  life  as  a  battle.  No  conflict,  no  char- 
acter. Without  strife,  a  weak  life.  But 
what  is  the  real  meaning  of  the  bat- 
tle? What  is  the  vital  issue  at  stake? 
What  are  the  things  worth  fighting 
for  ?  In  what  spirit,  with  what  weapons, 
are  we  to  take  our  part  in  the  warfare? 

There  is  an  answer  to  these  ques- 
tions in  the  text:  Overcome  evil  with 
good.  The  man  who  knows  this  text 
by  heart,  knows  the  secret  of  a  life  that 
is  both  strenuous  and  simple.  For  here 
we  find  the  three  things  that  we  need 
most:  a  call  to  the  real  battle  of  life; 
a  plan  for  the  right  campaign;  and  a 
promise  of  final  victory. 
I.  Every  man,  like  the  knight  in  the 
old  legend,  is  born  on  a  field  of  battle. 
But  the  warfare  is  not  carnal,  it  is  spir- 
itual. Not  the  east  against  the  west,  the 
north  against  the  south,  the  ** Haves" 
against  the  "Have-nots";  but  the  evil 
against  the  good, —that  is  the  real  con- 
flict of  life. 

The  attempt  to  deny  or  ignore  this 
38 


tCI)t  Battle  of  %ift 

conflict  has  been  the  stock  in  trade  of 
every  false  doctrine  that  has  befogged 
and  bewildered  the  world  since  the 
days  of  Eden.  The  fairy  tale  that  the 
old  serpent  told  to  Eve  is  a  poetic  sym- 
bol of  the  lie  fundamental,— the  theory 
that  sin  does  not  mean  death,  because 
it  has  no  real  existence  and  makes  no 
real  difference.  This  ancient  falsehood 
has  an  infinite  wardrobe  of  disguises. 

You  will  find  it  pranked  out  in  philo- 
sophic garb  in  the  doctrines  of  those 
who  teach  that  all  things  are  linked 
together  by  necessity  of  nature  or  Di- 
vine will,  and  that  nothing  could  ever 
have  happened  otherwise  than  just  as 
it  has  come  to  pass.  Such  a  theory  of 
the  universe  blots  out  all  difference  be- 
tween good  and  evil  except  in  name. 
It  leaves  the  fence-posts  standing,  but 
it  takes  away  the  rails,  and  throws 
everything  into  one  field  of  the  inev- 
itable. 

You  will  find  the  same  falsehood  in  a 
more  crude  form  in  the  popular  teach- 
ings of  what  men  call  *Hhe  spirit  of  the 
age,"  the  secular  spirit.  According  to 

39 


3ov  anb  S^omx 

these  doctrines  the  problem  of  civili- 
zation is  merely  a  problem  of  ways  and 
.  means.  If  society  were  better  organ- 
ized, if  wealth  were  more  equally  dis- 
tributed, if  laws  were  changed,  or  per- 
haps abolished,  all  would  be  well.  If 
everybody  had  a  full  dinner-pail,  no- 
body need  care  about  an  empty  heart. 
Human  misery  the  secular  spirit  re- 
cognizes, but  it  absolutely  ignores  the 
fact  that  nine-tenths  of  human  misery- 
comes  from  human  sin. 

You  will  find  the  same  falsehood  dis- 
guised in  sentimental  costume  in  the 
very  modern  comedy  of  Christian  Sci- 
ence, which  dresses  thedenial  of  evil  in 
pastoral  garb  of  white  frock  and  pink 
ribbons,  like  an  innocent  shepherdess 
among  her  lambs.  *^Evil  is  nothing," 
says  this  wonderful  Science.  ^^It  does 
not  really  exist.  It  is  an  illusion  of  mor- 
tal mind.  Shut  your  eyes  and  it  will 
vanish." 

Yes,  but  open  your  eyes  again  and 

you  will  see  it  in  the  same  place,  in  the 

same  form,  doing  the  same  work.  A 

most  persistent  nothing,  a  most  pow- 

40 


mft  Battle  of  3Lift 

erful  nothing!  Not  the  shadow  cast  by 
the  good,  but  the  cloud  that  hides  the 
sun  and  casts  the  shadow.  Not  the  *^si- 
lence  implying  sound,"  but  the  discord 
breaking  the  harmony.  Evil  is  as  real 
as  the  fire  that  burns  you,  as  the  flood 
that  drowns  you.  Evil  is  as  real  as  the 
typhoid  germ  that  you  can  put  under 
a  microscope  and  see  it  squirm  and 
grow.  Evil  is  negative,— yes,  but  it  is  a 
real  negative,— as  real  as  darkness,  as 
real  as  death. 

There  are  two  things  in  every  hu- 
man heart  which  bear  witness  to  the 
existence  and  reality  of  evil :  first,  our 
judgments  of  regret,  and  second,  our 
judgments  of  condemnation. 

How  often  we  say  to  ourselves, 
"Would  that  this  had  not  come  to 
pass!"  How  often  we  feel  in  regard 
to  our  own  actions,  "Would  that  I  had 
done  differently !  "This  is  the  judgment 
of  regret;  and  it  is  a  silent  witness  of 
the  heart  to  the  conviction  that  some 
things  are  not  inevitable.  It  is  the  con- 
fession that  a  battle  has  been  lost 
which  might  have  been  won.  It  is  the 

41 


3Jop  anil  l^tmtv 

acknowledgment  that  things  which 
are,  but  are  not  right,  need  not  have 
been,  if  we  and  our  fellow-men  had  seen 
more  clearly  and  followed  more  faith- 
fully the  guiding  star  of  the  good. 

And  then,  out  of  the  judgment  of  re- 
gret, springs  the  deeper  judgment  of 
condemnation.  If  the  failure  in  duty 
was  not  inevitable,  then  it  was  base. 
The  false  word,  the  unjust  deed,  the 
foul  action,  seen  as  a  surrender  to  evil, 
appears  hateful  and  guilty.  It  deserves 
the  indignation  and  the  shame  which 
attach  to  all  treason.  And  the  spirit 
which  lies  behind  all  these  forms  of  dis- 
loyalty to  the  good,— the  spirit  which 
issues  in  selfishness  and  sensuality, 
cruelty  and  lust,  intemperance  and 
covetousness,  —  this  animating  spirit 
of  evil  which  works  against  the  Divine 
will  and  mars  the  peace  and  order  of 
the  universe  is  the  great  Adversary 
against  whom  we  must  fight  for  our 
own  lives  and  the  life  of  the  world. 

All  around  us  lies  his  dark,  secret 
kingdom,  tempting,  threatening,  as- 
saulting the  soul.  To  ignore  it,  is  to 
42 


C{)c  Battle  of  ilft 

walk  blindfold  among  snares  and  pit- 
falls. Try  if  you  will  to  shut  it  out, 
by  wrapping  your  heart  in  dreams  of 
beauty  and  joy,  living  in  the  fair  re- 
gions of  art  or  philosophy,  reading  only 
the  books  which  speak  of  evil  as  if  it 
did  not  exist  or  were  only  another  form 
of  goodness.  Soon  you  will  be  shaken 
out  of  the  dream  into  the  reality.  You 
will  come  into  contact  with  evil  so 
close,  so  loathsome  that  you  can  not 
deny  it.  You  will  see  that  it  has  its  sol- 
diers, its  servants,  its  emissaries,  as 
ardent  and  enthusiastic  in  its  cause 
as  if  they  were  serving  the  noblest  of 
masters.  It  inspires  literature  and  sup- 
ports newspapers ;  now  intelligent  and 
cultured,  drawing  the  arts  into  its  ser- 
vice ;  now  coarse  and  vulgar,  with  pic- 
tures that  shock  the  taste  as  much  as 
they  debase  the  conscience.  It  wins  ad- 
herents and  turns  them  into  advocates. 
It  organizes  the  dealers  in  drunken- 
ness and  debauchery  into  powerful  so- 
cieties for  mutual  protection.  It  creates 
lobbies  and  controls  legislatures.  It 
corrupts  the  government  of  great  cit- 

43 


3ov  anb  l^omx 

ies  and  rots  out  the  social  life  of  small 
towns.Evenwhenitsoutward  manifes- 
tations are  repressed  and  its  grosser 
forms  resisted,  it  steals  its  way  into 
men's  hearts,  eatingout  the  roots  of  hu- 
man trust  and  brotherhood  and  kind- 
ness, and  filling  the  air  with  gossip  and 
spite,  envy,  malice  and  all  uncharita- 
bleness. 

I  am  glad  that  since  we  have  to  live 
in  a  world  where  evil  exists,  we  have 
a  religion  which  does  not  bandage  our 
eyes.  The  first  thing  that  we  need  to 
have  religion  do  for  us  is  to  teach  us  to 
face  the  facts.  No  man  can  come  into 
touch  with  the  Divine  personality  of 
Jesus  Christ,  no  man  can  listen  to  His 
teaching,  without  feeling  that  the  dis- 
tinction between  good  and  evil  to  Him 
is  vital  and  everlasting.  The  choice  be- 
tween them  is  to  Him  the  great  choice. 
The  conflict  between  them  is  to  Him 
the  great  conflict.  Evil  is  the  one  thing 
that  God  has  never  willed.  Good  is  the 
one  thing  that  He  wills  forever.  Evil 
is  first  and  last  a  rebellion  against  His 
will.  He  is  altogether  on  the  side  of 
44 


Cjic  Battle  of  Hift 

good.  Much  that  is,  is  contrary  to  His 
will.  There  is  a  mighty  strife  going 
on,  a  battle  with  eternal  issues,  but 
not  an  eternal  battle.  The  evil  that  is 
against  Him  shall  be  cast  out  and  shall 
perish.  The  good  that  overcomes  the 
evil  shall  live  forever.  And  those  who 
yield  their  lives  to  God  and  receive  His 
righteousness  in  Christ  are  made  par- 
takers of  everlasting  life. 

This  is  the  teaching  of  Jesus:  and  I 
thank  God  for  the  honesty  and  virility 
of  His  religion  which  makes  us  face 
the  facts  and  calls  us  to  take  a  man's 
part  in  the  real  battle  of  life. 
n.  But  what  is  the  plan  of  campaign 
which  Christianity  sets  before  us?  In 
what  spirit  and  with  what  weapons  are 
we  to  enter  the  great  conflict  against 
the  evil  that  is  in  the  world? 

The  natural  feeling  of  the  heart  in 
the  presence  of  evil  is  wrath,  and  the 
natural  weapon  of  wrath  is  force.  To 
punish  crime,  to  avenge  wrong,  to  put 
down  wickedness  with  a  strong  hand, 
—that  is  the  first  impulse  of  every  one 
who  has  the  instincts  of  manhood. 

45 


3Jop  anil  ^otDtr 

And  as  this  is  natural,  so  it  is,  also, 
within  a  certain  sphere  needful,  and  to 
a  certain  extent  useful.  Armies  and 
navies  exist,  at  least  in  theory,  to  pre- 
vent inj  ustice  among  nations.  Laws  are 
made  to  punish  wrong-doers.  Courts, 
police-forces,  and  prisons  are  main- 
tained to  suppress  evil  with  power. 

But  while  we  recognize  this  method 
of  dealing  with  evil  as  useful  to  a  cer- 
tain extent  and  necessary  within  a  cer- 
tain sphere,  we  must  remember  that 
it  has  its  strict  limitations. 

First,  it  belongs  to  the  state  and  not 
to  the  individual.  When  the  private 
man  assumes  to  punish  evil  with  force 
he  sanctions  lynch-law,  which  is  a 
terror  to  the  innocent  as  well  as  to 
the  guilty.  Then  we  have  the  blood- 
feud  and  the  vendetta,  mob-rule  and 
anarchy. 

Second,  the  suppression  of  evil  by 
force  is  only  a  temporary  relief,  a  pro- 
tection for  the  moment.  It  does  not 
touch  the  root  of  the  matter.  You  send 
the  murderer  out  of  the  world  by  a 
regulated  flash  of  lightning.  But  you 
46 


wi)t  mm  of  3Ltft 

do  not  send  murder  out  of  the  world. 
To  do  that  you  must  reach  and  change 
the  heart  of  Cain.  You  put  the  thief  in 
prison,  but  when  he  comes  out  he  will 
be  ready  to  steal  again,  unless  you  can 
purify  his  conscience  and  control  his 
will.  You  assault  and  overthrow  some 
system  of  misgovernment,  and  **turn 
the  rascals  out."  But  unless  you  have 
something  better  to  substitute,  all  you 
have  done  is  to  make  room  for  a  new 
set  of  rascals,— a  new  swarm  of  mos- 
quitoes with  fresh  appetites  and  larger 
capacities. 

Third,  the  method  of  fighting  evil 
with  force  on  its  own  ground  often  has 
a  bad  effect  on  those  who  follow  it. 
Wrestle  with  a  chimney-sweep  and 
you  will  need  a  bath.  Throw  back  the 
mud  that  is  thrown  at  you,  and  you  will 
have  dirtyhands.  Answer  Shimei  when 
he  curses  you  and  you  will  echo  his 
profanity.  Many  a  man  has  entered 
a  crusade  against  intemperance  and 
proved  himself  as  intemperate  in  his 
language  as  other  men  are  in  their  po- 
tations. Many  a  man  has  attacked  a 

47 


Sop  ani  ^oxoer 

bad  cause  with  righteous  indignation 
and  ended  in  a  personal  squabble  with 
most  unrighteous  anger. 

No,  my  brother-men,  the  best  way  to 
fight  against  evil  is  not  to  meet  it  on 
its  own  ground  with  its  own  weapons. 
There  is  a  nobler  method  of  warfare,  a 
divine  plan  of  campaign  given  to  us  in 
the  religion  of  Christ.  Overcome  evil 
with  good.  This  is  the  secret  of  the 
battle  of  life. 

Evil  is  potent  not  so  much  because  it 
has  command  of  money  and  the  "big 
battalions,"  but  because  it  has  control 
of  the  hearts  of  men.  It  spreads  be- 
cause human  hearts  are  lying  fallow 
and  ready  to  welcome  the  seeds  of  all 
kinds  of  weeds.  It  persists  because  too 
much  of  what  we  call  virtue  is  nega- 
tive, and  selfish,  and  frost-bound, — cold 
storage  virtue,— the  poor  piety  which 
terminates  in  a  trembling  anxiety  to 
save  our  own  souls. 

The  way  to  counteract  and  conquer 

evil  in  the  world  is  to  give  our  own 

hearts  to  the  dominion  of  good,  and 

work  the  works  of  God  while  it  is  day. 

48 


wi)t  mm  of  %ift 

The  strongest  of  all  obstacles  to  the 
advance  of  evil  is  a  clean  and  generous 
man,  doing  his  duty  from  day  to  day, 
and  winning  others,  by  his  cheerful 
fidelity,  to  serve  the  same  Master.  Dis- 
eases are  not  the  only  things  that  are 
contagious.  Courage  is  contagious. 
Kindness  is  contagious.  Manly  integ- 
rity is  contagious.  All  the  positive  vir- 
tues, with  red  blood  in  their  veins,  are 
contagious.  The  heaviest  blow  that 
you  can  strike  at  the  kingdom  of  evil 
is  just  to  follow  the  advice  which  the 
dying  Sir  Walter  Scott  gave  to  his  son- 
in-law,  Lockhart:  "Be  a  good  man." 
And  if  you  want  to  know  how,  there  is 
but  one  perfect  and  supreme  example, 
—the  life  of  Him  who  not  only  did  no 
evil  but  went  about  doing  good. 

Now  take  that  thought  of  fighting 
evil  with  good  and  apply  it  to  our 
world  and  to  ourselves. 

Here  are  monstrous  evils  and  vices  in 
society.  Let  intemperance  be  the  type 
of  them  all,  because  so  many  of  the 
others  are  its  children.  Drunkenness 
ruins  more  homes  and  wrecks  more 

49 


Sop  anil  3^omx 

lives  than  war.  How  shall  we  oppose 
it?  I  do  not  say  that  we  shall  not  pass 
resolutions  and  make  laws  against  it. 
But  I  do  say  that  we  can  never  really 
conquer  the  evil  in  this  way.  I  hold 
with  Phillips  Brooks  that  **all  prohibi- 
tory measures  are  negative.  That  they 
have  their  uses  no  one  can  doubt.  That 
they  have  their  limits  is  just  as  clear." 
The  stronghold  of  intemperance  lies 
in  the  vacancy  and  despair  of  men's 
minds.  The  way  to  attack  it  is  to  make 
the  sober  life  beautiful  and  happy  and 
full  of  interest.  Teach  your  boys  how 
to  work,  how  to  read,  how  to  play,  you 
fathers,  before  you  send  them  to  col- 
lege, if  you  want  to  guard  them  against 
the  temptations  of  strong  drink  and 
the  many  shames  and  sorrows  that  go 
with  it.  Make  the  life  of  your  commu- 
nity cheerful  and  pleasant  and  interest- 
ing, you  reformers,  provide  men  with 
recreation  which  will  not  harm  them, 
if  you  want  to  take  away  the  power  of 
the  gilded  saloon  and  the  grimy  booz- 
ing-ken.  Parks  and  play-grounds,  li- 
braries and  music-rooms,  clean  homes 
50 


m)e  Battle  of  %ift 

and  cheerful  churches,— these  are  the 
efficient  foes  of  intemperance.  And  the 
same  thing  is  true  of  gambHng  and 
lubricity  and  all  the  other  vices  which 
drag  men  down  by  the  lower  side  of 
their  nature  because  the  higher  side 
has  nothing  to  cling  to,  nothing  to  sus- 
tain it  and  hold  it  up. 

What  are  you  going  to  do,  my  bro- 
ther-men, for  this  higher  side  of  hu- 
man life?  What  contribution  are  you 
going  to  make  of  your  strength,  your 
time,  your  influence,  your  money,  your 
self,  to  make  a  cleaner,  fuller,  happier, 
larger,  nobler  life  possible  for  some  of 
your  fellow-men?  I  do  not  ask  how  you 
are  going  to  do  it.  You  may  do  it  in 
business,  in  the  law,  in  medicine,  in  the 
ministry,  in  teaching,  in  literature.  But 
this  is  the  question:  What  are  you  go- 
ing to  give  personally  to  make  the  hu- 
man life  of  the  place  where  you  do 
your  work,  purer,  stronger,  brighter, 
better,  and  more  worth  living?  That 
will  be  your  best  part  in  the  warfare 
against  vice  and  crime. 

The  positive  method  is  the  only  effi- 

51 


3op  ani  ^oxDer 

cient  way  to  combat  intellectual  error 
and  spiritual  evil.  False  doctrines  are 
never  argued  out  of  the  world.  They 
are  pushed  back  by  the  incoming  of 
the  truth  as  the  darkness  is  pushed 
back  by  the  dawn.  Phillips  Brooks  was 
right.  It  is  not  worth  while  to  cross  the 
street  to  break  a  man's  idol.  It  is  worth 
while  to  cross  the  ocean  to  tell  him 
about  God.  The  skilful  fencer  who  at- 
tacks your  doubts  and  drives  you  from 
corner  to  corner  of  unbelief  and  leaves 
you  at  last  in  doubt  whether  you  doubt 
or  not,  does  you  a  certain  service.  He 
gives  you  exercise,  takes  the  conceit 
out  of  you.  But  the  man  who  lays  hold 
of  the  real  faith  that  is  hidden  under- 
neath your  doubt,— the  silent  longing 
for  God  and  goodness,  the  secret  at- 
traction that  draws  your  heart  toward 
Jesus  Christ  as  the  only  one  who  has 
the  words  of  everlasting  life,— the  man 
who  takes  hold  of  this  buried  faith 
and  quickens  it  and  makes  you  dare  to 
try  to  live  by  it, -ah,  that  is  the  man 
who  helps  you  indeed.  My  brothers, 
if  any  of  you  are  going  to  be  preach- 
52 


trjje  mttlt  of  3Llft 

ers  remember  this.  What  we  men 
need  is  not  so  much  an  answer  to  our 
doubts,  as  more  nourishment  for  our 
faith. 

The  positive  method  is  the  only  way 
of  victory  in  our  struggle  with  the  evil 
that  dwells  in  our  own  nature  and  be- 
sets our  own  hearts.  The  reason  why 
many  men  fail,  is  because  they  thrust 
the  vice  out  and  then  forget  to  lay  hold 
on  the  virtue.  They  evict  the  unclean 
spirit  and  leave  a  vacant  house.  To 
cease  to  do  evil  is  important,  but  to 
learn  to  do  good  is  far  more  impor- 
tant. Reformation  never  saved  a  man. 
Transformation  is  the  only  way.  And 
to  be  transformed,  a  man  must  wel- 
come the  Spirit  of  Good,  the  Holy 
Spirit,  into  his  heart,  and  work  with 
Him  every  day,  doing  the  will  of  God. 

There  are  two  ways  of  fighting  fever. 
One  is  to  dose  the  sick  people  with 
quinine  and  keep  the  fever  down.  The 
other  is  to  drain  the  marshes,  and  pu- 
rify the  water,  and  cleanse  the  houses, 
and  drive  the  fever  out.  Try  negative, 
repressive  religion,  and  you  may  live, 

53 


fop  anil  l^omv 

but  you  will  be  an  invalid.  Try  positive, 
vital  religion,  and  you  will  be  well. 

There  is  an  absorption  of  good  that 
guards  the  soul  against  the  infection 
of  evil.  There  is  a  life  of  fellowship  with 
Christ  that  can  pass  through  the  fur- 
nace of  the  world  without  the  smell  of 
fire  on  its  garments,— a  life  that  is  full 
of  interest  as  H  is  was,  being  ever  about 
His  Father's  business ; a  life  that  is  free 
and  generous  and  blessed,  as  His  was, 
being  spent  in  doing  good,  and  re- 
freshed by  the  sense  of  God's  presence 
and  approval. 

Last  summer,  I  saw  two  streams 
emptying  into  the  sea.  One  was  a  slug- 
gish, niggardly  rivulet,  in  a  wide,  fat, 
muddy  bed;  and  every  day  the  tide 
came  in  and  drowned  out  that  poor 
little  stream,  and  filled  it  with  bitter 
brine.  The  other  was  a  vigorous,  joy- 
ful, brimming  mountain-river,  fed  from 
unfailing  springs  among  the  hills ;  and 
all  the  time  it  swept  the  salt  water 
back  before  it  and  kept  itself  pure  and 
sweet;  and  when  the  tide  came  in,  it 
only  made  the  fresh  water  rise  higher 
54 


tEjje  Battle  of  5Lift 

and  gather  new  strength  by  the  de- 
lay; and  ever  the  living  stream  poured 
forth  into  the  ocean  its  tribute  of  living 
water,— the  symbol  of  that  influence 
which  keeps  the  ocean  of  life  from  turn- 
ing into  a  Dead  Sea  of  wickedness. 

My  brother-men,  will  you  take  that 
living  stream  as  a  type  of  your  life  in 
the  world?  The  question  for  you  is  not 
what  you  are  going  to  get  out  of  the 
world,  but  what  you  are  going  to  give 
to  the  world.  The  only  way  to  meet 
and  overcome  the  inflowing  tide  of  evil 
is  to  roll  against  it  the  outflowing  river 
of  good. 

My  prayer  for  you  is  that  you  may 
receive  from  Christ  not  only  the  watch- 
word of  this  nobler  life,  but  also  the 
power  to  fulfil  it. 


55 


CJje  6ooti  mn  Wiav 


Cl)e  (^ooti  DID  Wiav 

3[etemiaf)  \}l  le:  ©tanD  ge  in  tfte  toaps  anD 
0ee;  anD  a0fe  for  tbt  oID  patbs,  tobere  10  tbe 
gooD  toap ;  anD  toalk  tfterein,  anD  pe  0t)all 
finD  rest  for  gour  0OUI0. 

HIS  advice  was  given  to 
people  who  were  in  peril 
and  perplexity.The  king- 
dom of  J  udah  was  threat- 
ened with  destruction, 
which  could  be  averted 
only  by  wise  and  prompt  action.  But 
the  trouble  was  to  decide  in  which  di- 
rection that  action  should  be  taken. 
The  nation  was  divided  into  loud  par- 
ties, and  these  parties  into  noisy  wings. 
Every  man  had  a  theory  of  his  own,  or 
a  variation  of  some  other  man's  theory. 
Some  favoured  an  alliance  with  the 
East;  some  preferred  the  friendship  of 
the  West ;  others,  a  course  of  diplo- 
matic dalliance;  a  few  stood  out  for 
honest  independence.  Some  said  that 
what  the  country  needed  was  an  in- 
crease of  wealth;  some  held  that  a 
splendid  and  luxurious  court  like  that 
of  Pharaoh  or  Nebuchadnezzar  would 
bring  prosperity;  others  maintained 

59 


3ov  anil  l^tmtt 

that  the  troubles  of  the  land  could  be 
healed  only  by  a  return  to  "simpler 
manners,  purer  laws."  Among  the  no- 
bility and  their  followers  all  kinds  of 
novelties  in  the  worship  of  idols  were  in 
fashion  and  new  gods  were  imported 
every  season.  The  philosophers  culti- 
vated a  discreet  indifference  to  all  reli- 
gious questions.  The  prophets  taught 
that  the  only  salvation  for  the  nation 
lay  in  the  putting  away  of  idolatry  and 
the  revival  of  faith  in  the  living  and 
true  God. 

Judah  was  like  a  man  standing  at 
the  cross-roads,  on  a  stormy  night, 
with  all  the  guide-posts  blown  down. 
Meantime  the  Babylonian  foe  was  clos- 
ing in  around  Jerusalem,  and  it  was 
necessary  to  do  something,  or  die. 

The  liberty  of  choice  was  an  embar- 
rassment.The  minds  of  men  alternated 
between  that  rash  haste  which  is  ready 
to  follow  any  leader  who  makes  noise 
enough,  and  that  skeptical  spirit  which 
doubts  whether  any  line  of  action  can 
be  right  because  so  many  lines  are 
open.  Into  this  atmosphere  of  fever 
60 


and  fog  came  the  word  of  the  prophet. 
Let  us  consider  what  it  means. 

Stand  ye  in  the  ways  and  see :  that 
means  deUberation.  When  you  are  at 
a  junction  it  is  no  time  to  shut  your 
eyes  and  run  at  full  speed.  Where  there 
are  so  many  ways  some  of  them  are 
likely  to  be  wrong.  A  turning-point  is 
the  place  for  prudence  and  forethought. 

Ask  for  the  old  paths,  what  is  the 
good  way:  that  means  guidance.  No 
man  is  forced  to  face  the  problems  of 
life  alone.  Other  men  have  tried  the  dif- 
ferent ways.  Peace,  prosperity,  victory 
have  been  won  by  the  nation  in  former 
times.  Inquire  of  the  past  how  these 
blessings  were  secured.  Look  for  the 
path  which  has  already  led  to  safety 
and  happiness.  Let  history  teach  you 
which  among  all  these  crossing  ways 
is  the  best  to  follow. 

And  walk  therein:  that  means  ac- 
tion. When  you  have  deliberated,  when 
you  have  seen  the  guiding  light  upon 
the  way  of  security  and  peace,  then  go 
ahead.  Prudence  is  worthless  unless 
you  put  it  into  practice.  When  in  doubt 

6i 


3Jo5  ani  ^otner 

do  nothing;  but  as  long  as  you  do  no- 
thing you  will  be  in  doubt.  Never  man 
or  nation  was  saved  by  inaction.  The 
only  way  out  of  danger  is  the  way  into 
work.  Gird  up  your  loins,  trembling 
Judah,  and  push  along  your  chosen 
path,  steadily,  bravely,  strenuously, 
until  you  come  to  your  promised  rest. 

Now  I  am  sure  this  was  good  coun- 
sel that  the  prophet  gave  to  his  peo- 
ple in  the  days  of  perplexity.  It  would 
have  been  well  for  them  if  they  had 
followed  it.  I  am  sure  it  is  also  good 
counsel  for  us,  a  word  of  God  to  steady 
us  and  stimulate  us  amid  life's  confu- 
sions. Let  me  make  it  a  personal  mes- 
sage to  you. 

Stand  in  the  ways :  Ask  for  the  good 
way:  Walk  therein :  —  Deliberation, 
Guidance,  Action, — Willyou  take  these 
words  with  you,  and  try  to  make  them 
a  vital  influence  in  your  life? 
I.  First,  I  ask  you  to  stand  in  the  ways 
and  see.  I  do  not  mean  to  say  that 
you  have  not  already  been  doing  this 
to  a  certain  extent.  The  great  world 
is  crossed  by  human  footsteps  which 
62 


make  paths  leading  in  all  directions. 
Men  travel  through  on  different  ways ; 
and  I  suppose  some  of  you  have  noticed 
the  fact,  and  thought  a  little  about  it. 

There  is  the  way  of  sensuality. Those 
who  walk  in  it  take  appetite  as  their 
guide.  Their  main  object  in  life  is  to 
gratify  their  physical  desires.  Some  of 
them  are  delicate,  and  some  of  them 
are  coarse.  That  is  a  matter  of  tem- 
perament. But  all  of  them  are  hungry. 
That  is  a  matter  of  principle.  Whether 
they  grub  in  the  mire  for  their  food 
like  swine,  or  browse  daintily  upon  the 
tree-tops  like  the  giraffe,  the  question 
of  life  for  those  who  follow  this  way  is 
the  same.  "How  much  can  we  hold? 
How  can  we  obtain  the  most  pleasure 
for  these  five  senses  of  ours  before  they 
wear  out  ?  "  And  the  watchword  of  their 
journey  is,  "Let  us  eat  and  drink  and 
be  merry,  for  we  do  not  expect  to  die 
to-morrow." 

There  is  the  way  of  avarice.  Those 
who  follow  it  make  haste  to  be  rich. 
The  almighty  dollar  rolls  before  them 
along  the  road,  and  they  chase  it.  Some 

63 


3(05  anb  ^otuer 

of  them  plod  patiently  along  the  high- 
way of  toil.  Others  are  always  leaping 
fences  and  trying  to  find  short  cuts  to 
wealth.  But  they  are  alike  in  this :  what- 
ever they  do  by  way  of  avocation,  the 
real  vocation  of  their  life  is  to  make 
money.  If  they  fail,  they  are  hard  and 
bitter;  if  they  succeed  they  are  hard 
and  proud.  But  they  all  bow  down  to  the 
golden  calf,  and  their  motto  is,  "Lay  up 
for  yourselves  treasures  upon  earth." 

There  is  the  way  of  social  ambition. 
Those  who  walk  in  it  have  their  eyes 
fixed  on  various  prizes,  such  as  titles 
of  honour,  public  office,  large  acquaint- 
ance with  prosperous  people,  the  repu- 
tation of  leading  the  fashion.  But  the 
real  satisfaction  that  they  get  out  of 
it  all  is  simply  the  feeling  of  notoriety, 
the  sense  of  belonging  to  a  circle  to 
which  ordinary  people  are  not  admit- 
ted and  to  whose  doings  the  world,  just 
for  this  reason,  pays  envious  attention. 
This  way  is  less  like  a  road  than  like 
a  ladder.  Most  of  the  people  who  are 
on  it  are  "climbers." 

There  are  other  ways,  less  clearly 
64 


marked,  more  difficult  to  trace,— the 
way  of  moral  indifference,  the  way  of 
intellectual  pride,  the  way  of  hypo- 
crisy, the  way  of  indecision.  This  last 
is  not  a  single  road ;  it  is  a  net-work  of 
sheep-tracks,  crossing  and  recrossing 
the  great  highways,  leading  in  every 
direction,  and  ending  nowhere.  The 
men  who  wander  in  these  aimless 
paths  go  up  and  down  through  the 
world,  changing  their  purposes,  fol- 
lowing one  another  blindly,  forever 
travelling  but  never  arriving  at  the 
goal  of  their  journey. 

Through  all  this  tangle  there  runs 
another  way,— the  path  of  faith  and 
duty.Those  who  walk  in  it  believe  that 
life  has  a  meaning,  the  fulfilment  of 
God's  will,  and  a  goal,  the  attainment 
of  perfect  harmony  with  Him.  They 
try  to  make  the  best  of  themselves  in 
soul  and  body  by  training  and  disci- 
pline. They  endeavour  to  put  their  tal- 
ents to  the  noblest  use  in  the  service 
of  their  fellow-men,  and  to  unfold  their 
faculties  to  the  highest  joy  and  power 
in  the  life  of  the  Spirit.  They  seek  an 

65 


3op  anil  l^tmtv 

education  to  fit  them  for  work,  and 
they  do  their  work  well  because  it  is  a 
part  of  their  education.  They  respect 
their  consciences,  and  cherish  their 
ideals.  They  put  forth  an  honest  effort 
to  be  good  and  to  do  good  and  to 
make  the  world  better.  They  often 
stumble.  They  sometimes  fall.  But, 
take  their  life  from  end  to  end,  it  is  a 
faithful  attempt  to  walk  in  **the  way 
of  righteousness,  which  is  the  way  of 
peace." 

Such  are  some  of  the  ways  that  lead 
through  the  world.  And  they  are  all 
open  to  us.  We  can  travel  by  the  road 
that  pleases  us.  Heredity  gives  us  our 
outfit.  Environment  supplies  our  com- 
pany. But  when  we  come  to  the  cross- 
roads, the  question  is,  "Boy,  which 
way  will  you  ride?" 

Deliberation  is  necessary,  unless  we 
wish  to  play  a  fool's  part.  No  amount  of 
energy  will  take  the  place  of  thought. 
A  strenuous  life,  with  its  eyes  shut,  is 
a  kind  of  wild  insanity.  A  drifting  life, 
with  its  eyes  open,  is  a  kind  of  mild 
idiocy. 

66 


Wilt  <§ooli  #Ui  WiSLV 

The  real  question  is,  "How  will  you 
live?  After  what  rule  and  pattern? 
Along  what  way  ?  Toward  what  end?" 

Will  you  let  chance  answer  that 
question  for  you?  Will  you  let  yourself 
be  led  blindfold  by  the  first  guide  that 
offers,  or  run  stupidly  after  the  crowd 
without  asking  whither  they  are  go- 
ing? You  would  not  act  so  in  regard 
to  the  shortest  earthly  journey.  You 
would  not  rush  into  the  railway  sta- 
tion and  jump  aboard  of  the  first  train 
you  saw,  without  looking  at  the  sign- 
boards. Surely  if  there  is  anything  in 
regard  to  which  we  need  to  exercise 
deliberation,  it  is  the  choice  of  the  way 
that  we  are  to  take  through  the  world. 
You  have  thought  a  good  deal  about 
what  business,  what  profession  you 
are  to  follow.  Think  more  deeply,  I 
beg  you,  about  how  you  are  to  follow 
it  and  what  you  are  to  follow  it  for. 
Stand  in  the  ways,  and  see. 
II.  Second,  I  earnestly  advise  you  to 
ask  for  the  old  paths,  where  is  the  good 
way. 

I  do  not  regard  this  as  a  mere  coun- 

67 


3ov  anb  ^otuer 

sel  of  conservatism,  an  unqualified 
commendation  of  antiquity.  True,  it 
implies  that  the  good  way  will  not  be 
a  new  discovery,  a  track  that  you  and 
I  strike  out  for  ourselves.  Among  the 
pathsof  conduct,  that  which  is  entirely 
original  is  likely  to  be  false,  and  that 
which  is  true  is  likely  to  have  some 
footprints  on  it.  When  a  man  comes  to 
us  with  a  scheme  of  life  which  he  has 
made  all  by  himself,  we  may  safely  say 
to  him,  as  the  old  composer  said  to 
the  young  musician  who  brought  him 
a  symphony  of  the  future,  "It  is  both 
new  and  beautiful ;  but  that  which  is 
new  is  not  beautiful,  and  that  which 
is  beautiful  is  not  new." 

But  this  is  by  no  means  the  same 
as  saying  that  everything  ancient  is 
therefore  beautiful  and  true,  or  that  all 
the  old  ways  are  good.  The  very  point 
of  the  text  is  that  we  must  discrimi- 
nate among  antiquities, -a  thing  as 
necessary  in  old  chairs  and  old  books 
as  in  old  ways. 

Evil  is  almost,  if  not  quite,  as  an- 
cient as  good.  Folly  and  wisdom, 
68 


among  men  at  least,  are  twins,  and 
we  can  not  distinguish  between  them 
by  the  grey  hairs.  Adam's  way  was  old 
enough ;  and  so  was  the  way  of  Cain, 
and  of  Noah's  vile  son,  and  of  Lot's 
lewd  daughters,  and  of  Balaam,  and 
of  Jezebel,  and  of  Manasseh.  Judas 
Iscariot  was  as  old  as  St.  John.  Ana- 
nias and  Sapphira  were  of  the  same 
age  with  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul. 

What  we  are  to  ask  for  is  not  sim- 
ply the  old  way,  but  that  one  among 
the  old  ways  which  has  been  tested 
and  tried  and  proved  to  be  the  good 
way.  The  Spirit  of  Wisdom  tells  us 
that  we  are  not  to  work  this  way  out 
by  logarithms,  or  evolve  it  from  our 
own  inner  consciousness,  but  to  learn 
what  it  is  by  looking  at  the  lives  of 
other  men  and  marking  the  lessons 
which  they  teach  us.  Experience  has 
been  compared  to  the  stern-light  of 
a  ship  which  shines  only  on  the  road 
that  has  been  traversed.  But  the  stern- 
light  of  a  ship  that  sails  before  you  is 
a  head-light  to  you. 

You  do  not  need  to  try  everything 

69 


3Jo5  anb  ^oxDtr 

for  vourself  in  order  to  understand 
what  it  means.  The  writer  of  Ecclesi- 
astes  tells  us  that  he  gave  his  heart 
to  know  madness  and  folly;  and  that 
it  was  all  vanity  and  vexation  of  spirit. 
It  will  be  a  wise  economy  for  us  to  ac- 
cept his  lesson  without  paying  his  tui- 
tion-fee over  again. 

It  is  perfectly  safe  for  a  man  to  take 
it  as  a  fact  that  fire  burns,  without  put- 
ting his  hand  into  the  flame.  He  does 
not  need  to  try  perilous  experiments 
with  his  own  soul  in  order  to  make  sure 
that  lust  defiles,  that  avarice  hardens, 
that  frivolity  empties,  that  selfishness 
cankers  the  heart.  He  may  understand 
the  end  of  the  way  of  sensuality  by 
looking  at  any  old  pleasure-seeker, 

"Gray,  and  gap-toothed,  and  lean  as  death," 

mumbling  the  dainties  that  he  can 
no  longer  enjoy,  and  glowering  with 
bleared  eyes  at  the  indulgences  which 
now  mock  him  even  while  they  tempt 
him.  The  goal  of  the  path  of  covetous- 
ness  may  be  discerned  in  the  face  of 
any  old  money- worshipper;  keeping 
70 


guard  over  his  piles  of  wealth,  like  a 
surly  watch-dog;  or,  if  perchance  he 
has  failed,  haunting  the  places  where 
fortune  has  deceived  him,  like  an  un- 
quiet ghost. 

Inquire  and  learn ;  consider  and  dis- 
cern. There  need  be  no  doubt  about 
the  direction  of  life's  various  ways. 

Which  are  the  nations  that  have 
been  most  peaceful  and  noble  and  truly 
prosperous?  Those  that  have  followed 
pride  and  luxury  and  idolatry  ?  Or  those 
that  have  cherished  sobriety  and  jus- 
tice, and  acknowledged  the  Divine  law 
of  righteousness? 

Which  are  the  families  that  have 
been  most  serene  and  pure  and  truly 
fortunate?  Those  in  which  there  has 
been  no  discipline,  no  restraint,  no 
common  faith,  no  mutual  love?  Or 
those  in  which  sincere  religion  has 
swayed  life  to  its  stern  and  gracious 
laws,  those  in  which  parents  and  chil- 
dren have  walked  together  to  the 
House  of  God,  and  knelt  together  at 
His  altar,  and  rejoiced  together  in  His 
service? 

71 


3fop  anb  l^omx 

I  tell  you,  my  brother-men,  it  has  be- 
come too  much  the  fashion  in  these 
latter  days  to  sneer  and  j  eer  at  the  old- 
fashioned  ways  of  the  old-fashioned 
American  household.  Something  too 
much  of  iron  there  may  have  been  in 
the  Puritan's  temper;  something  too 
little  of  sunlight  may  have  come  in 
through  the  narrow  windows  of  his 
house.  But  that  house  had  foundations, 
and  the  virile  virtues  lived  in  it.  There 
were  plenty  of  red  corpuscles  in  his 
blood,  and  his  heart  beat  in  time  with 
the  eternal  laws  of  right,  even  though 
its  pulsations  sometimes  seemed  a  lit- 
tle slow  and  heavy.  It  would  be  well 
for  us  if  we  could  get  back  into  the 
old  way,  which  proved  itself  to  be  the 
good  way,  and  maintain,  as  our  fathers 
did,  the  sanctity  of  the  family,  the  sa- 
credness  of  the  marriage-vow,  the  so- 
lemnity of  the  mutual  duties  binding 
parents  and  children  together.  From 
the  households  that  followed  this  way 
have  come  men  that  could  rule  them- 
selves as  well  as  their  fellows,  women 
that  could  be  trusted  as  well  as  loved. 
72 


Read  the  history  of  such  families,  and 
you  will  understand  the  truth  of  the 
poet's  words:— 

"Self-reverence,  self-knowledge,  self-con- 
trol, — 

These  three  alone  lead  life  to  sovereign 
power." 

Look  around  you  in  the  world  and 
see  what  way  it  is  that  has  brought 
your  fellow-men  to  peace  and  quiet- 
ness of  heart,  to  security  and  honour 
of  life.  Is  it  the  way  of  unbridled  self- 
indulgence,  of  unscrupulous  greed,  of 
aimless  indolence?  Or  is  it  the  way 
of  self-denial,  of  cheerful  industry,  of 
fair  dealing,  of  faithful  service?  If  true 
honour  lies  in  the  respect  and  grateful 
love  of  one's  fellow-men,  if  true  success 
lies  in  a  contented  heart  and  a  peace- 
ful conscience,  then  the  men  who  have 
reached  the  highest  goal  of  life  are 
those  who  have  followed  most  closely 
the  way  to  which  Jesus  Christ  points 
us  and  in  which  He  goes  before  us. 
III.  Walk  therein  and  ye  shall  find  rest 
for  your  souls.  Right  action  brings  rest. 

73 


So5  anb  l^omv 

Rest!  Rest!  How  that  word  rings 
like  a  sweet  bell  through  the  turmoil 
of  our  age.  We  are  rushing  to  and  fro, 
destroying  rest  in  our  search  for  it.  We 
drive  our  automobiles  from  one  place 
to  another,  at  furious  speed,  not  know- 
ing what  we  shall  do  when  we  get 
there.  We  make  haste  to  acquire  new 
possessions,  not  knowing  how  we  shall 
use  them  when  they  are  ours.  We  are 
in  a  fever  of  new  discoveries  and  theo- 
ries, not  knowing  how  to  apply  them 
when  they  are  made.  We  feed  our- 
selves upon  novel  speculations  until 
our  heads  swim  with  the  vertigo  of 
universal  knowledge  which  changes 
into  the  paresis  of  universal  doubt. 

But  in  the  hours  of  silence,  the  Spirit 
of  Wisdom  whispers  a  secret  to  our 
hearts.  Rest  depends  upon  conduct. 
The  result  of  your  life  depends  upon 
your  choosing  the  good  way  and  walk- 
ing in  it. 

And  to  you  I  say,  my  brother-men, 
choose  Christ,  for  He  is  the  Way.  All 
the  strength  and  sweetness  of  the  best 
74 


CJjt  <§oo5)  ©Hi  ISaap 

possible  human  life  are  embodied  in 
Him.  All  the  truth  that  is  needed  to  in- 
spire and  guide  man  to  noble  action  and 
fine  character  is  revealed  in  Him.  He 
is  the  one  Master  altogether  worthy  to 
be  served  and  followed.  Take  His  yoke 
upon  you  and  learn  of  Him,  and  ye  shall 
find  rest  unto  your  souls. 


Date 

Due 

*4     .4^ 

1 

,-  27  "40 

My  2  n  '") 

£yh-               ^^^^llPi 

' 

^ 

6 


